Just three little words

She gasped as they were teleported back to his place. Winched in pain, even though that everything was healing up, it didn’t stop it from tearing through her body. Now they just needed to make sure she wouldn’t slip into a shock state or anything like that. But it didn’t help the small smile forming over her lips, as she looked at Ace, slowly letting her tongue glide over her lips. Now, this could go a couple of ways, but she just had to make sure that she had heard him correctly. “So” she whispered with a hoarse voice, after the energy from getting his mother’s blood pump through her veins settling.

“You love me too much to lose me already?” she asked him, almost expecting him just to drop her where he stood. Which would only make her laugh. How could she anything else, despite everything that had just happen. She couldn’t really keep that stupid grin of her face, even though she really tried and had to admit that she hated it as much as she loved it. Because she was usually so good at keeping her emotions in check, and not letting anyone see through her masks that she put on. But it just became harder and harder, the more time she used with Ace.

He carried her in his arms, and it was difficult not to see how a smile glided up on her lips. “What?” he asked with a little frown and walked towards the sofa, so he could put her in it to rest. She repeated one of his sentences from the horror scene of her almost dying. “Oh, shut up,” he said almost sounding a little grumpy. “I wanted you to fight for your life,” he said and put her into a sitting position on the sofa. “Stay there,” he told her and went to grab his usual stuff that he used when he had to aid her wounds. When he came back to her, he took off his shirt, since it had muddy sand on it. “If you didn’t fight, we’d have lost you much sooner,” he said and went to wash his hands. He walked back to her and sat down in front of her, almost like the first time they met. He glanced up at her as he found something to cleanse the wound, just a little, before everything would close. She didn’t seem to believe a single bit of it, even though he had tried his best to sound as casual as possible. Maybe he had pulled on a smile without knowing it? He closed his eyes as a wider smile spread on his lips. He licked his lips as he gave up. He placed his elbows on each side of her, on the sofa and leaned forward as much as possible. “I love you, Hope”

Even though he sounded grumpy and told her to shut up, she couldn’t help but smile. Even a laugh left her as he put her down in the sofa. “Of course, you did” she teased and then nodded, blinking all innocent with her eyes as she watched him walk away. She leaned back, making a small groan as her hands glide down her face. She stomped a little with her feet and wiggled her body, as she couldn’t really sit still or keep the energy inside of her. She quickly regretted it though, as she felt the pain spread in her body and with a soft grunt she leaned back and kept herself in check, even though it was hard not to act on the feeling of warmth spreading in her chest.

“mmhm” she said, clearly making him think she wasn’t even listing, as she much rather watch him walk around without his shirt on. What on earth had that blood done to her? She felt impowered, and hot all over. Her eyes watched his movements, something she had started to enjoy was how his fingers worked. Her eyes got a little big as he placed his elbows on each side of her and then leaned in close. She could have sworn that every movement he made, she could smell and feel much more intensely than she usually did. And then he told her those three little words. She forgot to breathe; she was sure that her heart stopped beating all together as she looked him. The smile disappeared. But not because she didn’t want to hear them, but because she never thought she would hear them again and believe that they were true. Seconds that felt like hours in her brain went by. “I love you too, Ace” she whispered back.

He could hear that she wasn’t really focusing as he moved around. The sound she made indicated that quite clear, and the way her eyes almost ate him raw. She must really be feeling the effects of the blood. He could even see how she was surprised by him saying the words. It wasn’t really like he was the one to say that a lot – if at all. But somehow, it seemed like she hadn’t expected it at all and the look on her face was almost worth an award.

She whispered the words back to him. “Hold onto that thought,” he said, before he pulled away from her and with no real warning, he pulled her behind her knees, so she laid down and started to cleanse the wound from any sand, snow or dirt that might’ve gotten into it. He didn’t care much that the liquid that he could press out afterwards ended on the sofa. He just had to get it cleaned. He glanced up at her, “One more time,” he told her and filled the wound with a liquid and for once last time, pressed around the wound to make sure everything got out again. As he had cleansed it, he grabbed some papers to dry the area around the wound so he could focus on actually closing the wound. “And you said?”

She rolled her eyes at him as he asked her to hold that thought and then glided away, even faster than he had got in her face. A small yelp left her as he pulled her behind her knees and a hiss of pain “Hey, be gentle!” she laughed after getting over the pain. And then she closed her eyes and pushed her head a little back while focusing on anything other than the pain pulsating through her body each time he whipped the wound and cleaned it for whatever had gotten in it while being on the beach.

He announced that he needed to do it one more time. “Aw man” she mumbled biting down at her lip keeping herself from calling any curse words out. Finally, it seemed like he was done and she could let out a small breath of relief. When he was done, he asked her what she had said. A teasing grin formed on her lips as she pressed her up on her elbows. “That you needed to be gentle?” she asked, knowing very well it wasn’t what he referred to.

Ace looked up at her as she hissed in pain. He shook his head a little as he heard her laugh. He wondered how long it would take before she would get down from the high she was on from the blood. She even complained about having to go through a second cleanse. Well, not that he judged at all, it was quite an injury, and the small complain she made was nothing compared to what anyone else would’ve done.
The teasing grin that formed on her lips, made him aware that he probably wasn’t going to hear the words he thought he would hear. He licked his lips and nodded a bit. He looked into her eyes. “You don’t think I’m gentle with you?” he asked before he let his gaze fall to the wound and helped it heal quicker.

As the wound seemed to be closed, but still red and sore, he looked up at her and crossed his arms on top of her thighs. “Why did you do it?” he asked her with quite a serious expression.

She lifted a brow and turned her head a little, when he asked about the fact that she didn’t think he was being gentle with her. She was used to it, mostly because he didn’t have the patience when it came to getting his work done. But yes, like many other people he was actually very gentle. Instead of answering her fingers found his cheek and slowly let her fingers glide over his prominent cheek and jaw bones. She recorrected a strain of his hair and pushed it back, so it didn’t fall into his eyes.

Now his question made her look at him, why had she done it. She had asked herself that, she was never that reckless normally. She was very calculated and normally didn’t put herself in harm’s way because of others. She had just, gotten so afraid, especially since it didn’t seem like the story off his parents were a happy one. “Because, when it comes to you” she started taking a small breath in giving him a sad smile. “All rationality is thrown out the window, and I was – so afraid” she moved her knees and used her hands to push him back. Then she slid down the couch and with a little redirection she made sure that she could sit in between his legs while hers folded around his waist. “Because I love you, and when it comes to love it just makes people act in ways, they never thought they would” she answered as truthfully as she could.

While he worked on her wound, he could feel how she caressed his cheek- and jawbone, and even how she repositioned a strand of hair. It made a small smile appear on his lips. It was incredible what three or four months could do.

He studied her while she explained, and he raised his brows a little, looking at the slightly sad expression. She was so afraid. She had stolen his catchphrase of being scared. He let her push him off her knees and come down from the couch to sit in front of her. His hands found her thighs to keep her close. He studied everything she did, as she elaborated how love made people act foolish. He caressed her outer thighs a little. “Hope, I-… I want you to remember that I don’t take damage as easily as you,” he spoke softly. He let a hand find her neck and caressed it a little, “I know you might not remember it, if it ever happens again… But I could have lost you for something my family would call a lovable throw,” He leaned in to place his forehead on hers with his eyes closed. It might be odd, but he believed that it was foolish to risk her life when he surely could’ve handled a lot more than the throw. He let his nose stroke the side of hers shortly before he sighed. “I should probably take a look on your back too,” he mumbled even though he was starting to feel a little tired from healing a greater wound. “How are you feeling?” he wondered. She might’ve gotten some of his mother's blood, but he was unsure whether or not she should have a supply bag attached for the night… If she was even able to fall asleep.

She looked at him as he told her that he wasn’t as easily damaged as her. That wasn’t fair, like she was about to remember that he wasn’t going to be killed as easily when she was in the situation seeing him fly out of a fucking house, because his father was pissed that he had tried to get the angel down. Really, that was the car he was going to play? Her stoic and clearly not impressed expression, told the whole story. She rolled her eyes, as he asked her to remember that, because he didn’t want to lose her. “Fine” she mumbled, as he leaned in and placed his forehead against hers. A soft breath left her, and she closed her eyes. “I’ll try to be more careful” and how should she had known that he would punch his arm through her. He had telekinesis; at worst she had thought she would have been cast away from him. Which would have been something she could handle just fine. So, in whose mind was this something that normally would happen.

A soft hum left her, as he wanted to take a look on her back as well. She could feel that he was running low on energy. And probably also were hungry. Which wouldn’t make her sit so close to him any easier. “I think my back will look fine in the morning, I would love to say that I haven't been through worse, but I have” she mumbled, placing a soft kiss against the corner of his lips. What had happened after they had to take out the baby she had been carrying. It had almost killed her, and not only because of the lack of blood. But emotionally too. “I think, you should get something to eat, I’ll take a bath – and then I would really like to just sleep” she mumbled with a soft smile on her lips and started getting up from the floor.

It was no lie that Hope thought it was unfair to play the card about how little damage he would take from a lovable throw. He closed his eyes as their foreheads leaned upon each other. “Thank you,” he whispered, even though he knew that Hope being more careful might not be anything to expect from her. He just truly needed her to know that she was cared for and he really didn’t want to see her getting hurt.

They could look at the back in the morning, she tried to convince him. She was bad at convincing until she mentioned that she had been through worse. He looked at her with a slightly worried and sad smile, but reciprocated the kiss, even though it wasn’t straight on the lips. He let a hand caress her close to her cheek while she explained what she wished for. “Okay,” he gave in and got up with her. He was quite cautious that she wasn’t about to lose balance or anything. “Do you need some help with the bath?” he wondered, not minding giving her a hand – but like she said, he had to get something to eat, and while he would be out there, he would definitely be finding one of her bags so she wouldn’t get sick over night.

She placed her hands on his shoulder and gave him a warm smile. Then she shook her head; “No, I’ll be able to do it on my own, but thank you” she said in a low voice, leaning in and giving him a small kiss against his lip. For a moment she stood there, feeling his cold skin and breath against hers. If anyone had ever asked if she would fall in love with a vampire, she would tell them that they were crazy. Maybe even a little delusional. But it had been what had happened. Their time together, all though rather chaotic. Had taught her that real love still existed. That she would be able to actually find someone that she could see a future with, and that she wanted to explore things in life that she had never done before. Even though she had by now, lived a rather long life. Of course, not compared to Ace. But long enough.
Hope kissed him again, feeling the longing in her spread for a moment. Sometimes kisses could just wake something in a person. This was one of those times, and she was a little overwhelmed of how powerful it felt. Then she pulled away. Placing a hand against his chest, she let out a soft breath of air. “Get something to eat, I’ll take a bath” she said, before walking towards the bathroom.